Citizens’ forum announces new process to select independents

Mumbai 227, a platform for independent candidates, announced their new selection procedure to choose candidates for the 2012 civic election on Sunday at the Khar Library.

The platform will have a centralised selection panel of over 50 panelists, who will select the independent candidate.

On November 5, Mumbai 227 will start its ‘Be a Corporator’ campaign. They will unveil their application form on this day, which interested candidates have to fill and submit.

This form will then go through an elimination round conducted by Greycell HR consultancy. In the second round, the firm will interview the candidates. The final three candidates will then have to fact the selection panel. “We are trying to make this unbiased process as possible,” said Santosh Avatramani, from Mumbai 227.

Previously, Mumbai 227 had announced another selection process, in which the final candidate was to be selected through a voter representative council, made up of representatives from registered citizen bodies and advanced locality managements working in that ward. However, this created a rift between the first citizen corporator from Juhu, Adolf D’Souza and Mumbai 227. D’Souza then walked out of Mumbai 227 and this new selection process was announced.

“We were always interested in the the idea of a centralised selection panel. We just needed some time to announce it,” Avatramani said.